Harry Potter What if Dumbledore's jobs were ceremonial?

[slickrcbd]

I've seen a lot of discussions on how Dumbledore supposedly had so much political power yet did nothing. Lot of fics that criticize this as well. Well, I recently heard a line from The Hitchiker's Guide from the Galaxy about how the President of the Galaxy's job is not to wield power but to draw attention away from it got me thinking.

What if the position of Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot was akin to the President of the Senate in the United States Congress? He only gets to vote if there is a tie. He officially presides over the wizengamot, but doesn't introduce legislation or even the agenda.

What if the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards is a similar position?
Dumbledore has probably appointed a Chief Warlock Pro Tempore and a Supreme Mugwump Pro Tempore to handle most duties, which is how he can be Headmaster of Hogwarts full-time while holding those other positions.

It would certainly put a different take on how Dumbledore supposedly holds all these government jobs yet never seems to do anything useful with them.

 

[bissek]

Seeing as "Mugwump" is slang for an indecisive person (The term stemmed from a political cartoon of a politician sitting on a fence, unable to decide if he should land on his mug or his "wump"), I'd say that a Supreme Mugwump would not do very much (And the title shouldn't be a compliment).

 

[slickrcbd]

If you are going to go there, keep in mind that the word "Warlock" can also mean "oathbreaker".

 

[Chuckg]

Reminder: In canon, the Wizengamot is the Wizarding High Court, not the wizarding legislature. So none of the analogies above even begin to apply.

 

[Prince Charon]

Seeing as "Mugwump" is slang for an indecisive person (The term stemmed from a political cartoon of a politician sitting on a fence, unable to decide if he should land on his mug or his "wump"), I'd say that a Supreme Mugwump would not do very much (And the title shouldn't be a compliment).

IIRC, 'Prime Minister' was originally a bit of an insult.

 

[Lady Salazar]

If we're debating terminology, The Tales of Beedle the Bard and it's 'notes' inform us that in HP canon 'warlock' is an archaic term for someone skilled in battle magic. In context, this would imply the Chief Warlock is the main 'dispenser of justice' in a court, or the judge.

All the same, I imagine most of Dumbledore's positions in politics are ceremonial. This is the man who turned down being the Minister of Magic, so clearly political power isn't what he wants.

 

[Chi Vayne]

I also tend to believe his titles are largely ceremonial. Much like Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in the U.S.A., there isn't a lot of additional power there.